The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a composite candle wick whereby two materials, preferably cotton and wood, are joined together by means of lamination. The composite wick provides improved flame height consistency in candles.
Candles with wood wicks, especially planar wood wicks, suffer from inconsistent flame heights during normal use. The inconsistency, regardless of the type of wood used, appears to be attributed to the natural variation of the wood itself. Whether due to geography, altitude, weather, age or processing, the inconsistency in flame height in wood wick candles is a significant detriment within the candle industry.
Inconsistency in flame heights may be considered a mark of low quality in terms of use-aesthetics and fragrance release performance. Unless designed otherwise, candles are expected to maintain reasonable flame height consistency. Inconsistency in flame heights is observed as low flames and high flames within one candle during its use or from candle to candle.
Candles with low flames produce poor use-aesthetics and reduced fragrance release and impact. For example, a traditional candle flame imparts a pleasant ambiance as exemplified by the well-known concept of “dinner by candlelight”. Low flames will suffer from significantly reduced luminescence, producing undesirable candle flame ambiance. For scented candles, it is well known in the art that the flame melts the wax which results in fragrance release. Quick melting of the scented wax and the generation of a broad melt pool is conducive to maximizing both fragrance release and impact. Low flames lack the ability to readily melt the wax and may not form a broad melt pool, thus inhibiting fragrance release and impact. Candles with high flames are likely to produce excessive smoking and generate high heat.
To solve these problems a composite wood/cotton wick has been developed in which the cotton is adhered to the wood. Such a wick is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/274,630, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. After lamination, the composite wick that comprises both the cotton wick and wood wick should be the same length, and the actual length will depend upon the height of the candle in which the wick is used.
It is an important aspect of this invention that both the cotton wick 3 and wood wick 3 be adhered together so that the final laminated composite wick can withstand additional manufacturing processes without becoming delaminated. Additional manufacturing processes include wick clip application to form a complete wick clip assembly, container placement and subsequent adhesion, candle forming such as hot liquid filling, and composite wick trimming for optimal first candle burn user experience. Another important aspect of this invention is that the planar cotton wick 3 not extend beyond the edges of the wood wick.